West Saxony
'Wessex, also rarely spelt as Weseax, is a country that is part of the United Kingdom of Wessex and Cornwall, located in the South West of the island of Great Britain, bordered by Mercia and Sussex to the East, Cornwall to the West, and the English Channel to the South. The area now called Wessex was first inhabited by modern humans in Upper Paleothic period, but it takes its name the ancient Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Wessex that existed from the 6th century, to emergence of a unified England in the 10th century. The Anglo-Saxon Kingdom was believed to be founded by Cerdic and Cydric, in 6th century, until its unification with the Kingdom of England in 927, Wessex ceased to be a political unit in 1066, when the crown was reunited with the English crown. The name Wessex was also given to the Kingdom of Wessex , which existed between 1972 and 1985, before the government reforms and the Acts of Devolution in 1985, transforming it into a United Kingdom of Wessex and Cornwall, establishing Wessex as one of two devolved countries. Etymology Wessex takes its name from the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of the same name that was present in the area during the 6th and 10th centuries, before becoming part of the unified English state. Governance Wessex is a country that is part of the United Kingdom of Wessex and Cornwall. Constitutionally, Wessex and Cornwall is a de jure unitary state, with its parliament and government in Bath. Politics The Act of Devolution in 1985 created the Witenagemot and the Wessen Government. The Witenagemot contains 70 seats, of which 66 seats are held by elected 'Witan' from Wessex's 66 Assembly Constituencies, and a further 4 seats are filled by appointed offcials. Wessex is represented by 66 Members of Parliament in the House of Representatives of Wessex and Cornwall. The Witenagemot has several subjects of power, however less than that of the Cornish Assembly and Government. The subjects are; Agriculture, Economic Development, education, health, housing and social services, local government, welfare, tourism and transport. For some areas, the Wessen government must comply with policies and laws set by the national government. The Social Liberal Party (SLP) holds the majority in the Witenagemot, with the opposition held by the Labour Party. Several other parties have a number of seats in the assembly, these are the Wessex Gebeorscipe, the Green Party and the Voice of Wessex. The Wessen Government is lead by the Chief Minister, and consists also of the Chief Minister's cabinet. The cabinet consists of the heads of departments of the Wessen government. The Executive Arm is currently; *First Minister; Katy Wix *Minister for Finance; *Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development; *Minister for Local Government and Communities; *Minister for Social Services and Welfare; *Minister for Education and Skills; *Minister for Health; *Minister for Housing and Heritage; Local Government Wessex is divided into 6 counties which have a County Council, which are then divided into Districts, which are governed by Local District Councils. Counties are then sudivided into Civil Parishes, which are normally large villages and towns. Civil Parishes are governed by a Parish Council. There are no Civil Parishes in Bristol and Avon. Wessex also has a Ceremonial Province, Sussex, which was granted this status in 2009. A Ceremonial Province is an area of cultural signifigance of one of the countries of Wessex and Cornwall, that has a small degree of self-governance and determination however much less than that of a country status, and is considered part of its original country. Law and Order Wessex's law system is different than that of Cornwall, and is known as Wessen Law, considered a mix of Civil Law and Common Law, it traces its roots in Scots Law and English Law. The essence of common law is that, subject to statute, the law is developed by judges in courts, applying statute, precedent and common sense to the facts before them to give explanatory judgements of the relevant legal principles, which are reported and binding in future similar cases. However Wessex's Common Law system has three possible verdicts, Guilty, Not Guilty and Not Proven. Both Not Proven, and Not Guilty, result in aquittal. The Courts of Wessex, consist of the High Court of Appeal, for criminal cases, and the Crown Courts of Wessex. Each County in Wessex has a County Court, lead by the County High Sheriff. Wessex's Law Enforcement system is managed by the Department for Local Government and Communities, and follows the national guidlines for law enforcement. Wessex has a total of 8 local police Constabularies, which are managed directly by the County and District Councils. Geography Infrastructure Education Healthcare Transport Economy Wessex, along with Mercia, are undoutably the main centres of the Wessex and Cornish economy. Wessex has three major centres of industry, Bristol, Swindon, and the Southampton - Portsmouth area, which have major manufacturing industries including Shipbuilding and Car manufacturing. Wessex has a major knowledge-based economy, as does the rest of Wessex and Cornwall. The M4 Corridor, is a major centre of IT and High-Tech industries, between Bristol and Swindon, and Reading in Mercia. Category:Wessex and Cornwall Category:Wessex (WC)